METHODS FOR ESTIMATING TARGET NUCLEIC ACID IN A SAMPLE PRIOR TO AMPLIFICATION

摘要

Provided are methods for estimating the amount of initial target nucleic acid in a sample prior to nucleic acid amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The methods generally involve modeling signal intensity data generated across a range of PCR cycles with a phenomenological model in concert with a chemical model, to yield an estimate of the amount of initial target nucleic acid in the sample.